Online training on “Communication for EU projects”
On the 30th of November and the 1st of December, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised an online training on “Communication for EU projects”, in collaboration with its member Vision Communication Consultancy, whose Director, Ramón Vila, led both sessions.
This online training, focused on professionals in branding, public affairs, marketing, communications, or community engagement, offered the keys to execute and assess a comprehensive and effective communication campaign for their European agencies, organizations, programs, and projects.
During the first session, an introduction of the communication for EU project was made with an explanation of the different existing European projects. The reality of the consortiums in European projects and the need to adapt the communication strategy according to the type of project and the context were explored. More technical issues such as the requirements and obligations of companies within a project of this type were also discussed.
In the second session, deeper look toward the European projects’ communication was done by exploring the social media management, the different communication products, and event management, as well as the need to create powerful messages. Finally, the importance of measuring impact was emphasised, as well as having clear objectives and analysing results.
Throughout both journeys, participants had the opportunity to learn about examples of good and bad practices of communication in various European projects and they learnt how to effectively design and manage a communication strategy in projects granted by the European Union.
Hybrid training on “Public advice strategies and dialogue with European institutions”
On November 16 and 17, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg held in Brussels the fourth edition of its training course “Public Affairs strategies and dialogue with the European institutions”, aimed at Spanish businesses and associations.
More than fifteen representatives of companies and national sectoral associations participated in the course, interested in learning first-hand the tools to establish an effective dialogue with the EU institutions, and motivated to anticipate both risks and opportunities from the political and legislative action taking place in Brussels.
The first journey started with an introduction from our president, Pablo López-Álvarez, Senior Managing director at FTI Consulting, who presented a global vision on lobbying and the monitoring of the EU agenda. Following, European Affairs consultant and former MEP Ignasi Guardans spoke about the institutional structure of the EU and its surrounding ecosystem.
Afterwards, the CEOE’s Permanent Delegate in Brussels, Isabel Yglesias, presented the basic tools to follow and contribute to the European legislative process, and David Luengo, Indra’s Head Office in the capital, the role of the Public Affairs Director.
“Good lobbying is not a matter of presence, but of quality,” underlined Yglesias.
How to establish dialogue
In the afternoon, the attendees enjoyed a speech by Diego Canga, who gave practical advice on how to establish a good dialogue with the European institutions, especially with those of which he has been a member, such as the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, and the Commission, where he currently holds the position of Director in the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Ignacio Sánchez-Recarte, Secretary General of the European Committee of Wine Companies (CEEV), then described the role of business associations and sectoral employers’ associations and their role in the European legislative process.
The day was completed with the intervention of Sebastián Rodríguez, General Director of Rollout Democracy, who presented a manual for advocacy campaigns and European public affairs through case studies, and Raquel García, researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute office in Brussels, who spoke about the projects that this organisation develops from “the capital” and the role played by Think Tanks within the Brussels ecosystem of influence.
After the presentations of the day, the Chamber organised a networking dinner with Spanish professionals and European officials, in which the participants of the training and the members of our Board of Directors were invited.
On November 17th, the training started with a visit to the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, where Raúl Fuentes Milani, Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador, received the Spanish companies and associations to introduce them to the role of the Council, the priorities of the Spanish presidency during the second semester of 2023, or the functioning of the REPER in Brussels.
Transparency Register
Then, Juan Alfonso Herrero, Director of European Affairs at Mercadona, outlined the importance of the Transparency Register, a key tool for lobbying in Brussels, which has also contributed enormously to the professionalisation of the staff dedicated to Public Affairs.
The day continued with a visit to the European Parliament and a lunch with MEPs, which was attended by Pablo Arias, José Manuel García Margallo and Javier Zarzalejos, members of the Group of the European People’s Party. During the meeting, the MEPs explained the work they do in the Parliament, as well as the importance of ensuring that the interests of European companies reach Brussels. The lunch was also an opportunity for those attending to present and resolve their doubts about the dialogue between the organisations and the MEPs.
Back in the Chamber, Ruth Estrada, Partner of Schuman Associates, explained the keys to access European recovery funds, and Susana Garayoa, Head of Communication and European Institutional Relations at Zabala Innovation, presented the funding opportunities for companies through programmes such as Horizon Europe.
To end the course, Sonia Vila, Head of Unit of “Management and Resources” of the Presidential Service I.D.E.A. – Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action of the European Commission and former member of President Von der Leyen’s cabinet, addressed the EU’s sphere of competence.
The training was closed by Marta González, Secretary General of the Chamber, who took the opportunity to explain the services and the role played by the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg as a support entity for Spanish companies interested in defending their interests in the European Union.
The first training of the SFF Learning Solutions, Private Equity Fundamentals, has been held
Last Thursday, October 20, the first of the three SFF Learning Solutions training sessions took place at the Chambre des Métiers in Luxembourg. The module was taught by Gorka González, a banking professional with more than 20 years of experience in the sector.
The three-hour course covered topics such as an introduction to Private Equity, explained the fund, the investments, and their performance.
At the end of the event, participants received a diploma certifying their attendance and were able to attend a networking cocktail that allowed them to exchange ideas and opinions.
The Chamber continues its collaboration with Antwerp University within the EYE programme
On the 20th of October, the Chamber presented the workshop “Test your business idea with the EYE programme” to the students of the Spanish course for business and economics at the Antwerp University.
This session was organised in the framework of the annual collaboration between the Chamber and the University and aims not only to meet the students and discuss about entrepreneurship, but also to unlock their potential for innovation and help them to develop a business plan.
For one and a half hour, the students had the possibility to create their own “start-ups” and receive recommendations from the project manager of the Chamber on how to develop their business plans and test their entrepreneurial idea through the European programme Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs.
The Chamber thanks once again the invitation of the University of Antwerp, and specially to Lieve Vangehuchten, Head of Spanish Business and Professional Communication at the Institute of Academic and Professional Communication (IPAC) of the University of Antwerp and looks forward to continuing collaborating with them to promote entrepreneurship among university students.
If you would like to know more about the programme Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, please contact Noelia Sánchez: erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com
Online training on “SEO, Content Creation and Content Marketing”
On September 22th and 23th 2022, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised a webinar on “SEO, Content Creation and Content Marketing”, designed for profiles looking to level up their content marketing knowledge, regardless of the industry or company size.
Content Marketing and the Content Creation are strategic initiatives used by many companies, who dedicate resources to the creation and sharing of valuable content designed to attract, retain and delight their target audience. Once we gain their trust and build a relationship, it is much easier for our followers to become clients, and eventually ambassadors of our brand
During this workshop, we explored what content marketing is, shared best practices, discovered how to create attractive content for our target audience, explored how to craft optimized content for search engine optimization, evaluated the most widely used formats and channels and learnt what they needed to boost a content pipeline and how to measure results. Practical sessions were also included.
This was the full programme of the course.
SFF Learning Solutions: New financial training courses for young people in Luxembourg
Within the framework of the Spanish Financial Forum working group, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg is launching a new training offer. These are the SFF Learning Solutions training focused on the Luxembourg financial market and will run from October 2022 to March 2023. These three modules, divided into four individual sessions, will take place in a hybrid format and are mainly aimed at young Spaniards who have recently arrived in Luxembourg and are interested in improving their employability by increasing their knowledge of the Luxembourg financial sector.
The topics covered in each training will be the following:
- Private equity fundamentals (20 October 2022 – Duration: 3 hours)
This module will provide participants with an introductory overview of private equity, an explanation of its fundamental concepts and a basic understanding of this alternative asset class.
- Compliance requirements in Luxembourg (24 November 2022 – Duration: 2 hours; and 26 January 2023 – Duration: 2 hours)
This module will address the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, understanding the risks, assessing the threats, cybercrime, fraud prevention and its detection and sanctioning systems. It will also explain tax transparency and information exchange, detail the latest European and non-European developments in this area and analyse the latest initiatives in Luxembourg to improve tax transparency.
Corporate & Governance in Luxembourg (16 March 2023 – Duration: 2 hours)
This module will be an overview of the Luxembourg legal and tax considerations for the Corporate & Governance of a Luxembourg commercial company, with a special focus on governance, corporate bodies, main applicable laws and regulations, reporting obligations or available legal structures.
These pieces of training will be given by renowned professionals from multinationals and specialized consulting firms in Luxembourg and will include case studies.
Hybrid trainings
The SFF Learning Solutions will be conducted in English in online and face-to-face format (Chambre des Métiers, 2 Circuit de la Foire Internationale, 1347 Luxembourg).
The registration fees for each training course are as follows:
First Module – Member price: 195€ + VAT / Non-member price: 225€ + VAT.
Second Module – Member price: 260€ + VAT / Non-member price: 300€ + VAT
Third Module – Member Price: €130 + VAT / Non-member Price: €150 + VAT
You can consult the full programme here. After each session, a networking cocktail will be offered to the attendees.
Participants who register for two modules will receive a 5% discount on the second module and a 10% discount on the third module for those who register for all modules.
Registration is now open via this link. Places are limited and reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each student will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of each course, stating the programme attended and the number of hours taught.
In collaboration with:
Online Training “European Tenders and Opportunities as an Expert”
On 5, 6 and 7 July, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised the online training “European tenders and opportunities: do it like an expert”.
During the three days, Karine Brück, founding partner of Karine Brück International (Ecosolve SL), a partner company of the Chamber, shared with the participants her experience in European tenders.
On the first day, Karine Brück explained the difference between a European call for projects and a call for tenders, as well as the new financial framework 2021-2027. She also shared some tips on how to identify opportunities at European level.
On the second and third day, participants discovered the complete process of preparing a tender, from the creation of international consortia to the search for experts, through both theoretical knowledge and case studies.
On the last day, participants had the opportunity to present their questions and receive advice from an expert consultant.
From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg, we would like to thank Karine Brück for her collaboration and dedication and the participants for their presence.
Online Training on “EU Funding for non-profit organizations- Project Management”
On June 15th, 16th and 17th the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organized the training on “European Funding for Non-Profit Organizations – Project Management” in collaboration with FondosEuropeos.eu and LocalEurope.
During these three days of virtual sessions, the best tools, and competences to access and manage European funds in the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 were presented to the participants.
In addition, during these three sessions, different topics were discussed, among which it is worth highlighting the European funding, the search for partners and projects, as well as the administrative, financial, and communicative Management necessary for a successful operation.
From the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg we would like to thank FondosEuropeos.eu and LocalEurope for their collaboration and dedication and the participants for their presence.
With the support and recognition of
